Full Title Name:  How to Apply the “Best Interest of the Pet” Standard in Divorce Proceedings in Accordance with Newly Enacted Laws

Summary: First, the author will discuss how the Courts are beginning to apply this “best interest” approach, even if that state has no law in place to protect the animal’s best interest. Secondly, the author will analyze the three state laws that have currently been established to protect the interest of pets in divorce proceedings. Lastly, the author will provide a proposal to guide a Court’s analysis of the best interest of the animal in divorce proceedings.